Hello all,

Since I've started visiting the forums about 8 months ago (242s/146c/120g, 29yr old, 5'3.5") every once in a while I would peak in here to see what it could be like if only...

Well now I think I'm almost at that stage where I can officially call myself a featherweight. Technically I have 26 lbs. to go before I hit my realistic goal of 120, although 115 would be excellent.

For those who have either started around my weight or those who have lost a significant amount and have/had a goal similar to mine I'd like to know if you were able to keep your routine relatively the same and still continue to lose weight consistently.

I started 8 months ago and have lost 96lbs. I lose 2lbs a week consistently and lose between 10-12lbs a month. I work out everyday and since the beginning have changed up what I eat and how I workout.

Currently I use the elliptical (just incorporated this 3 weeks ago to change up workout) 3 times a week for a half hour at a pace of 74, however I practice HITT and go up to 96 for 30 sec to a minute about 5-7 times a workout. I also walk a little over an hour every single night at 3-4mph while doing 40 flights of stairs. The stairs are done in intervals throughout the workout and I do about 7 at a time, I also skip each stair. So I work out between 8.5-9 hours a week of just cardio. No weight training, not yet. I'm waiting a couple more weeks so it can be another change to my workout and hopefully keep me from plateauing. I've read from so many people on here how helpful and wonderful strength training has been for them, I really hope it transforms me as much as it has all of you.

My eating as follows: I wake up and drink 32 oz of water then I eat breakfast with another 32 oz of water. My breakfast currently is low fat ricotta (40 calories), handful of blueberries and a few raspberries, small handful of dried coconut unsweetened, and about 7 almonds. After that I try to drink another 32oz of water before lunch. During lunch I also drink 32oz and usually eat about 20-25g of organic over roasted turkey like Thanksgiving turkey, not deli with half a grapefruit and a salad which contains low fat dressing never more than a tablespoon, a few raisins, 1 stalk celery, tsp of parmesan, and no more than 10 cashews. For dinner another 32 oz of water and then I eat two eggs with broccoli and another vegetable with little to no oil and another vegetable or I'll have a salad instead with an egg, or sometimes just soup and a salad. I also drink hot water or decaf tea about 32oz before bedtime. I keep my calories at 1200. I've managed to avoid plateauing I think by cutting and reducing certain foods. For instance, I cut out rice, bread, pasta, potatoes (well bread I wasn't eating the rest) and replaced it with an occasional serving of quinoa. I eat a variety of other foods (never from a box or processed all whole and organic), but these are my main staples that I love and already know the calorie count for them so it's easy to stay on task. I calorie count religiously. I just need to figure out sodium intake and how to calculate what I'm consuming if I'm not adding salt.

I've never felt better in my life. I have more energy and I don't have food related crashes and freakouts now that I've taken a healthy control over it. Now that I'm actually eating healthy I don't go insane and want everyone around me to die if I'm not eating something which was usually carbs followed by more carbs followed by dessert. I no longer get a headache every single day.

I do worry about plateauing. This is my biggest fear. I think the fact that I keep reading that it happens to everyone makes it even worse. I don't know when mine will happen but I'm hoping it's when I'm much closer to my goal, that i can live with. I'm still overweight by medical standards and when I'm not I'm hoping that's now when I start to plateau.

If I continue increasing and changing my workouts for the next 3 months and also increasing my protein and adding even more veggies, could this help me avoid a plateau? I plan on taking kick boxing classes at least 3 times a week, adding strength training, start running regularly mostly intervals to begin with, swimming laps at the pool and possibly getting a trainer if needed. Not all at the same time, just gradually adding and changing it up and making it a little harder in the next 3 months (my year).

I plan on getting this weight off and taking the next year to tone my body.

Are there any featherweights out there who have lost more than 30lbs and who didn't weight train until you were closer to your goal?

I have one vain question for all you featherweights as well. My measurements are 34-27-40(!!!!!). My thighs are 25" and I can just see and grab the fat off of them it's really strange to me that I could literally cut that fat off and have normal legs. Has anyone else had this issue with their thighs? I realize that it's because I still have a lot to lose and I haven't done a lot of strength training but I thought climbing stairs every single day would be building muscle.

I'm so confused about my legs someone please help explain to me why they aren't getting smaller like everywhere else.

Is it possible that with 26 pounds left that a lot will come off my legs and that I'm over-exaggerating? Is it possible to lose 26lbs and none of that being from my legs? Is it even possible to lose 5-7" of fat from thighs with only 26lbs to go? I still have flab on stomach, about a handful, but most of the fat is in my legs and butt now. Also my calves are 15" and I would really love them to be 13" and I really hope with the last 26lbs that this will happen.

Can you guys give me some insight to how your body changed the last 20-30lbs? I desperately need some perspective when it comes to lost fat vs. inches. Since I'm closer to my goal and have never been on a diet in my life I have no idea what to expect.

Any help is appreciated!!!!!

Congratulations on a great loss ! I am impressed at how much water you drink. I am sure I would slosh when I walk if I drank that much. I excercised at first at the gym and then due to an injury had to stop that and most of my exercise has been walking. I do have some loose skin mostly on my stomach that I can blame on pregnancy and gaining and losing weight over the years however it looks much better than it did before .For awhile I was shocked at how crepey and loose the skin was on on my thighs but that has gotten much better doen't look nearly as bad as it did. Your body will continue to change as you diet, it is nearly impossible to predict where it is going to come off as it is coming off all over your body just as it did when you were gaining. Good luck !

Well the problem isn't loose skin for me, it's purely fat. I can definitely grab onto it I have minimal loose skin so far, but the loose skin that I do have is in the chest area, but hey it's better than being a 36DDDD!

Is it possible for my thighs to lose 4-5" of fat? I'm pretty sure that's where the majority of my fat is. If it shakes a lot and I can grab a bunch of it I'm pretty sure that's pure fat.

Did anyone's thighs go down significantly with 20-30lbs to goal?

Congrats on the awesome weight loss! Yes you're totally a Featherweight, glad you are joining us

I did not lose a lot of weight like you, so I won't be able to answer a few of your questions. But did want to comment quickly on a few things. YES upping your protein is always a great thing- good for your muscles, good for weight loss. If you can do this, go for it.

Re. weight training- I am a strong advocate of doing it NOW. I've read too much literature over the past few years about how critical it is for women to strength train, especially those who are losing weight. If you don't strength train your body burns a higher percentage of muscle and bone mass for fuel; if you include strength training in your regimen it burns a higher percentage of fat, while strengthening muscles and bones. This results in a leaner body and less risk of osteoporosis as you age.

It's funny, your post is the second I've read in as many days about how you never want to plateau. For me, and I think numerous featherweights, plateaus are just a reality of the weight loss process. They suck, but they happen. It doesn't usually mean you have to change anything- it's just a temporary stall that you need to power through. Sometimes people do change it up, upping protein, increasing strength training, changing the meal pattern, zig zagging calories, taking a diet break, etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's all about patience. Maybe pitch the same question to the Maintainers' Forum- they have already reached their weight loss goals and can tell you what the last six months or year looked like in terms of speed/steadiness of loss.

Re. the thighs- your body will lose weight last in the place where it had the weight first, if that makes sense. What the general saying on 3FC is, is that as you loose fat you will generally look like a smaller version of what you do now. It's not usually that you'll lose specifically in one place and not another. I've always had saddlebags and I'm pretty sure I always will. When I gained recently it was all in my stomach, so that was the first to go when I lost. Those saddlebags are still there and I expect as I keep losing weight they will get smaller, but only proportionally to my body.

Sorry that ended up a lot longer than expected. Anyway big congrats on your journey so far and welcome!!

Congrats on your weightloss!! You seem to have really adopted a healthy lifestyle. Good job on the exercise and water consumption! Those are usually two things most people have a very hard time with!

Like Indiblue, I have not lost a significant amount of weight but I will give my opinion on some of the things you mentioned..

Weight loss will def. slow a lot more as you get closer to goal. Plateaus dont happen to everyone and arent guaranteed to happen but its very likely. When you are trying to get off the last bit of weight, its not just about quantity in food but quality. Someone who wants to lose 100 pounds can lose eating 1200 calories worth of oreos (obviously not healthy but you get my point), whereas a featherweight could not.

Regarding exercise,the HITT you do is great!! Keep that up. But I too believe weight lifting is key; especially when its the last few pounds. It will reshape you, give you a faster metabolism overtime, build strong bones and muscles and will allow you to burn more calories during the day! I know I know every woman is afraid of getting bulky. But want to know a secret? Muscles need calories to build. So if you are creating a big calorie deficit (which you are) it is near impossible for your body to build big muscles.

Regarding plateus; dont worry about something that hasnt happend yet! I know thats easier said than done, but not everyone goes through plateaus. Will you see the 2+ pound loss a week that youve been seeing every week? Probably not. But remember, as you get closer to goal, the bigger the difference 1 pound will make.

As far as your thighs, I agree with Indiblue. Your body will lose the fat first from the last place you gained. So usually that means your "problem areas" are last to go. You will lose inches in your thighs as you get smaller. Will you lose the 5 inches you want? No one can tell. But I will say, weight training will be your best bet for this! My thighs are also my problem area. Always have been. I have extra fat from my knees all the way up to the top of my leg. To give you an idea, I am 5'5 131ish (not sure on weight - taking a break from dieting) and my measurements are 32-25-37 and my thighs are I think 22". Running and training have helped to shape them. When I lost the little bit of weight I did, people always commented on the one area that has never been my problem area, my stomach. So although it was nice to hear they noticed I was losing weight, I really wanted them to comment on my legs. It wasnt until I started running and lifting, that I got comments on my legs and the "reshape" of them. Catch my drift? Even though my thighs were losing weight, no one could really notice because like Indiblue said, it was just a slightly smaller version of them. The reshaping makes the world of a difference! Thats when people, and myself, noticed a difference..

Please just make sure to make a plan you can sustain. I know its cliche to say but you will gain it back if you cant. I think thats what most of our featherweight friends have problems with. We binge, gain back and start the cycle all over again. It really and truly is about making a healthy lifestyle for yourself. Your body will do the rest

Good luck!

I have to echo all of the above weight training advice. I consider myself in pretty good shape at this point and am very happy with my measurements, but I still weigh 145. I think I am heavy for my size, and it's because I have a lot of muscle. The nice thing about building muscle is that it will be there when the fat is gone. You HAVE built up muscle in your legs from stair climbing, particularly in your calf I bet. You just won't see it until the fat is gone.

Strength training has definitely put me on more plateaus than I can count anymore, but I wouldn't trade it.